Statutes and Ordinances of the University of Cambridge
CHAPTER IV
pp. 274–278
PRELIMINARY EXAMINATIONS AND TRIPOS EXAMINATIONS

The Ordinances contained in this Chapter are Ordinances of the General Board

In this section

TRIPOS EXAMINATIONS

ARCHITECTURE TRIPOS

Three Parts.

1. The Architecture Tripos shall consist of three Parts: Part Ia, Part Ib, and Part II. A separate class- list shall be published for each Part.

Standing of candidates.

2. The following may present themselves as candidates for honours in Part Ia:

  1. (a)a student who has kept one term, provided that three complete terms have not passed after his or her first term of residence;
  2. (b)a student who has obtained honours in another Honours Examination in the year next after so obtaining honours, provided that the student has kept four terms and that nine complete terms have not passed after his or her first term of residence.

3. A student who has obtained honours in Part Ia of the Architecture Tripos may be a candidate for honours in Part Ib in the year next after so obtaining honours, provided that he or she has kept four terms, and has satisfied the Examiners in studio-work in the examination for Part Ia.

4. A student who has obtained honours in Part Ib of the Architecture Tripos may be a candidate for honours in Part II in the year after or next but one after so obtaining honours, provided that

  1. (a)the student has kept seven terms and twelve complete terms have not passed after his or her first term of residence, and
  2. (b)the student has satisfied the Examiners in studio-work in the examination for Part Ib.

5. No student shall be a candidate for more than one Part, or for any Part and also for another Honours Examination, in the same term; and no student who has been a candidate for honours in any Part shall again be a candidate for honours in the same Part.

Professional qualification.

6. Subject to the provisions of Regulation 5, a student who is not eligible to be a candidate for honours shall be entitled to take the examination for any Part of the Architecture Tripos as a candidate not for honours for the purpose of qualifying for exemption from professional examinations, provided that he or she has obtained honours in another Honours Examination and, if a candidate for Part Ib or Part II, has satisfied the requirements of these regulations in so far as they relate to studio-work.

Examiners and Assessors.

7. To conduct the examination in each Part the Faculty Board shall nominate such number of Examiners as they shall deem sufficient. The Board shall have power to nominate Assessors to the Examiners for any of the papers. The Assessors shall be responsible for setting the questions in the subject or subjects assigned to them and for advising the Examiners on the candidates’ performance in those questions.

Class-lists.

8. In each Part the names of the candidates who obtain honours shall be arranged in three classes, of which the second shall be divided into two divisions. The names in the first and third classes and in each division of the second class shall be arranged in alphabetical order. A mark of distinction may be affixed to the names of those candidates placed in the first class whose work either in a part or in the whole of the examination is of special merit. In the class-lists for Part Ia and Part Ib, a mark s shall be attached to the names of those candidates who have satisfied the Examiners in studio-work.

9. The names of candidates who, having presented themselves under the provisions of Regulation 6, attain the honours standard shall be published in a list headed ‘The following who are not candidates for honours have attained the honours standard’.

Supplementary regulations.

10. The Faculty Board shall have power to make supplementary regulations defining all or any of the subjects set out in the following regulations as they think fit.

Notice of books and subjects.

11. Public notice of subjects, special periods, and books prescribed under the following regulations or under any supplementary regulations shall be given by the Faculty Board (a) for Part Ia and for Part Ib of the Tripos, not later than the Easter Term next preceding the examination to which they apply, and (b) for Part II of the Tripos, not later than the Easter Term next but one preceding the examination to which they apply; provided that the Board shall have the power of subsequently issuing amendments if they have due reason for doing so and if they are satisfied that no student's preparation for the examination is adversely affected.

Part Ia

Scheme of examination for Part Ia.

12. The examination for Part Ia of the Architecture Tripos shall consist of three sections:

Section A. Five papers as follows:

  Paper 1.

An introduction to the histories and theories of architecture to 1800.

  Paper 2.

An introduction to the histories and theories of architecture from 1800 to the present.

  Paper 3.

Fundamental principles of construction.

  Paper 4.

Fundamental principles of structural design.

  Paper 5.

Fundamental principles of environmental design.

Section B. Studio-work.

Section C. Course-work.

13. A candidate for Part Ia shall be required:

  1. (a)to offer all five papers in Section A;
  2. (b)for Section B, to present for the inspection of the Examiners, not later than the Friday before the first day of the written examination, a portfolio of studio-work carried out during the current academical year and attested by satisfactory evidence;
  3. (c)for Section C, to present for the inspection of the Examiners, by the same day, records in an appropriate form of course-work done by the candidate, and bearing, as an indication of the good faith of the record, the signatures of the teachers under whose direction the work was performed.

The Examiners shall be provided by the Head of the Department with assessments of all the course- work carried out by candidates of which records have been presented under (c).

Part Ib

Scheme of examination for Part Ib.

14. The examination for Part Ib of the Architecture Tripos shall consist of three sections:

 Section A.

(i)

Two papers (Papers 1 and 2) on historical and theoretical topics concerning architecture and its setting. For Paper 1 candidates will be required to submit two essays of 2,000 words. Paper 2 shall be assessed by a three-hour written examination.

 

(ii)

Three introductory papers (Papers 3–5) on technical topics concerning the theory and practice of construction and of structural and environmental design.

 Section B.

Studio-work.

 Section C.

Course-work.

15. A candidate for Part Ib shall be required:

  1. (a)to offer Papers 1–5, subject to the qualifications that candidates cannot address in Paper 2 a topic chosen for an essay in Paper 1, and each essay must be on a separate topic.
  2. (b)for Section B, to present for the inspection of the Examiners, not later than the Friday before the first day of the written examination, a portfolio of studio-work carried out during the current academical year and attested by satisfactory evidence;
  3. (c)for Section C, to present for the inspection of the Examiners, by the same day, records in an appropriate form of course-work done by the candidate, and bearing, as an indication of the good faith of the record, the signatures of the teachers under whose direction the work was performed.

Detailed instructions will be issued by the Department, by the division of the Michaelmas Term preceding the examination, regarding the coverage of prescribed texts and topics and any other requirements for the portfolio as a whole. Candidates will be required to declare that the essays are their own work. The essays shall consist of work done for supervisions and shall be in English and submitted with supervisors’ comments but without revision of any kind by the candidate. They shall be submitted by the candidate to the Secretary of the Faculty Board, in accordance with detailed arrangements approved by the Board, so as to arrive not later than the first Friday of the Full Easter Term in which the examination takes place. Candidates may be called for viva voce examination in connection with their portfolios.

The Examiners shall be provided by the Head of the Department with assessments of all the course- work carried out by candidates of which records have been presented under (c).

Part II

Scheme of examination for Part II.

16. The examination for Part II of the Architecture Tripos shall consist of four sections:

 Section A.

(i)

One paper on the theoretical and historical aspects of architecture and urbanism (Paper 1).

(ii)

Three papers (Papers 2–4) on the technical aspects of the theory and practice of construction and of structural and environmental design.

 Section B.

Studio-work.

 Section C.

Course-work.

 Section D.

A thesis, or an alternative exercise approved by the Faculty Board, on a subject approved by the Faculty Board.

Papers 1–3 in Section A shall be examined by written papers, each of which shall be of three hours’ duration. Paper 4 shall be examined by the submission of course-work.

17. A candidate for Part II shall be required:

  1. (a)for Section A, to offer Papers 1–4;
  2. (b)for Section B, to present for the inspection of the Examiners, not later than the Friday before the first day of the written examination, a portfolio of studio-work carried out during the current academical year and attested by satisfactory evidence;
  3. (c)for Section C, to present for the inspection of the Examiners, by the same day, records in an appropriate form of course-work done by the candidate;
  4. (d)for Section D, to submit a thesis, or an alternative exercise approved by the Faculty Board, in accordance with the provisions of Regulations 18 and 19.

The Examiners shall be provided by the Head of the Department with assessments of all the course- work carried out by candidates of which records have been presented under (c).

Thesis.

18. (a) Not later than 1 June each year the Faculty Board shall publish by Notice in the Department of Architecture a list of subject areas for the thesis or other exercise required for Section D in the examination to be held in the following academical year. In publishing the list the Faculty Board shall specify what types of exercise (if any) are permitted as alternatives to a thesis.

(b) Each candidate shall submit the proposed subject of his or her thesis or other exercise to the Secretary of the Faculty Board not later than the end of the third quarter of the Michaelmas Term next preceding the examination. A candidate may propose either (i) a subject that falls within one of the subject areas in the list published by the Faculty Board under sub-paragraph (a) above, or (ii) a subject of the candidate's own choice.

(c) Each candidate shall obtain the approval of the proposed subject by the Faculty Board not later than the last day of the Michaelmas Term.

(d) The Secretary of the Faculty Board shall notify the Examiners of candidates’ subjects; the Examiners shall have power to impose restrictions on the questions that a candidate may offer in Paper 1, and shall inform candidates of any such restrictions not later than the end of the first quarter of the Easter Term.

19. A thesis presented under Regulation 17(d) shall be of not less than 7,000 words and not more than 9,000 words in length, including notes, appendices, and bibliography; an alternative exercise shall be of comparable substance. Each thesis shall be printed or typewritten, and shall be submitted through the candidate's Tutor to the Head of the Department of Architecture so as to arrive not later than the first day of Full Easter Term. Each candidate will be required to sign a declaration that the thesis is his or her own work, unaided except as may be specified in the declaration, and that it does not contain material that has already been used to any substantial extent for a comparable purpose.

Oral and practical tests.

20. In each Part the Examiners may impose such oral and practical tests as they think fit, and in drawing up the class-list they shall take into account the candidates’ performance in all such tests, and in the studio-work and course-work, as well as in the written papers and theses or alternative exercises, together with the assessment of course-work presented by the Head of the Department. A candidate for Part II may be examined viva voce, at the discretion of the Examiners, on the subject of his or her thesis or alternative exercise.

SUPPLEMENTARY REGULATIONS

Part Ia

Section A

Paper 1. An introduction to the histories and theories of architecture to 1800

The paper deals with a selective introduction to the histories of architecture and the city in Western Europe and to theoretical writings on architecture and the role of the architect from classical antiquity to the start of the nineteenth century.

Paper 2. An introduction to the histories and theories of architecture from 1800 to the present

The paper deals with a selective introduction to the histories of architecture and the city in Western Europe and to theoretical writings on architecture and the role of the architect from the nineteenth century to the present.

Paper 3. Fundamental principles of construction

The paper may include questions on the development of construction methods, the elementary principles of construction of small buildings, and the basic properties of construction materials.

Paper 4. Fundamental principles of structural design

The paper may include questions on the elementary principles of structural design of buildings, on simple statics, stress analysis, and strength of structural materials.

Paper 5. Fundamental principles of environmental design

The paper may include questions on the elementary principles of environmental control in buildings and servicing of buildings.

Part Ib

Section A

Paper 1. Essays on the history of architecture, urbanism, and design

The essays submitted for this paper must relate to the subject matter of the history and theory lecture courses given for Paper 2 in the Michaelmas and Lent Terms.

Paper 2. The history and theory of architecture, urbanism, and design

The courses of lectures for this paper will be specified from time to time by the Faculty Board of Architecture and History of Art and will cover topics from the history and theory of architecture, urbanism, and design.

Paper 3. Principles of construction

This paper may include questions on the principles governing the use of constructional elements in complex building types, properties of materials, dimensional co-ordination, analysis of simple methods of enveloping space.

Paper 4. Principles of structural design

This paper may include questions on the structural aspects of architectural design, the behaviour of structural elements under load, the use of load-bearing brickwork, steel, and reinforced concrete, systems of roof spanning and their calculation, the mathematical and graphical determination of simple structural systems.

Paper 5. Principles of environmental design

This paper may include questions on the principles of environmental control and functional design, the practical applications of the principles of thermal response, of acoustics, and of lighting in buildings, micro-climate, planning and designing for user needs.

Part II

Section A

Paper 1. Advanced studies in the theoretical and historical aspects of architecture and urbanism

The paper will be divided into a number of sections corresponding to the topics or periods in the theory and history of architecture and urbanism announced by the Faculty Board under the provisions of Regulation 18(a). Under the provisions of Regulation 18(b) the Faculty Board shall have power to debar a candidate from attempting a specified section or sections.

Paper 2. Management, practice, and law
Paper 3. Advanced studies in structural analysis, construction technology, and environmental design related to case studies
Paper 4. Architectural engineering